Recycling centres’ summer opening hours to change

Shropshire’s five household recycling centres (HRCs) are to remain open from 9am to 5pm each day on a permanent basis from March 2013. 

In previous years, between late March and late October the centres have opened until 7pm on weekdays, and until 6pm on weekends and Bank Holidays. 

The change follows a review of visitor statistics for the five HRCs, which showed that in the spring and summer months when the extended opening hours were in operation, the busiest time for visitors was 11am to 1pm with, on average, fewer than five per cent of visitors choosing to visit the centres after 5pm. 

Introducing 9am to 5pm opening all year round will save Shropshire Council an estimated £50,000 a year, and mean that the recycling centres will continue to remain open every day of the year (except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day), and for 56 hours each week. 

The change was agreed by Shropshire Council’s Cabinet when they considered budget savings at their meeting on Wednesday 16 January 2013.

Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for waste management, said: 

“With the council needing to save a further £9m this year, we carried out a review of household recycling centre opening hours to see if there was any scope to make savings by altering these times.  A number of options were considered, but our priority was to keep the centres open every day, and at the times when most people visit the centres. 

“Setting the opening hours at 9am to 5pm every day was felt to be the best option, as it will ensure that each centre remains open every day, while helping us to make a significant saving.  Importantly, it should also have little impact on the amount of waste that is brought to the HRCs for recycling.” 

The five HRCs are operated by Veolia Environmental Services on behalf of Shropshire Council and are located at: Shrewsbury (Battlefield Enterprise Park); Oswestry (Mile Oak Industrial Estate); Bridgnorth (Faraday Drive); Whitchurch (Waymills Industrial Park); and Craven Arms (Long Lane). 

The five HRCs receive around 800,000 visitors every year, with approximately 30,000  tonnes of household waste brought to the sites during 2011/12.

Opening hours at the Coder Road recycling site in Ludlow will remain unchanged.